2008 United States presidential election

The United States of America has scheduled its 55th quadrennial presidential election to be held nationwide on November 4, 2008. Assuming current President George W. Bush and current Vice President Dick Cheney serve out the remainder of their terms, this election will determine the 44th President of the United States and the 47th Vice President of the United States.

As President George W. Bush has served two terms already, he is ineligible to serve another term as president, or to serve as vice-president in a future administration, in accordance with the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution which states that a president is limited to two terms in office, and that an individual not eligible for the presidency is not eligible for the vice-presidency.

Following the re-election of Bush in 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney denied any interest in running for president, quoting General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous statement "If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve." The 2004 election handed Republicans control of both houses as well as the presidency, and it was naturally assumed that the Republican candidate in 2008 would stand a substantial chance of leading the third consecutive Republican administration in the 21st century, resulting in one of the most competitive Republican primaries in history, with prominent Republicans such as 2000 candidate Arizona Senator John McCain and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani seeking the nomination.

After a close and highly-disputed loss of the Gore/Lieberman ticket in 2000, and a loss of the popular vote by three million in 2004, the Democrats were initially at a disadvantage for the 2008 election until popularity numbers began to sink for Bush and the Republican Party starting in late 2005, with growing doubts about the Iraqi War, health insurance and ethics investigations, which resulted in the Democrats taking back control of both houses in the 2006 elections. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady and Senator from New York, as well as Illinois Senator Barack Obama are some prominent Democrats who have stated their candidacies for the Democratic nomination, which promises to be just as competitive as its Republican counterpart.

Current polls show a competitive general election, with numbers between top Democratic candidates (in poll standings) Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama vs. leading Republicans Rudy Giuliani or Mike Huckabee close.

Overshadowing the election will be the Iraq War. As of November 2007, polls on average show that over 60% of Americans believe that the war is not going well, and a central part of the 2008 campaigns have been each candidates' strategy to stabilize Iraq and set the stage for withdrawal for Iraq.

Most Democratic candidates have stated that a withdrawal of troops is necessary to reduce the risk of further casualties of U.S. troops in Iraq, and will also help Iraqi forces become self-sufficient. Some Democratic candidates have stated that continuing U.S presence has abetted the rise of Al-Qaeda in Iraq with Senator Joe Biden stating "We must get our soldiers out of this civil war where they become justification for the Bush-fulfilling prophecy of Al-Qaeda in Iraq to flourish..."

On the contrary, almost every candidate for the GOP nomination has supported President Bush's call for an extended presence in Iraq, stating that the troops should be allowed to finish their assignment and that an early withdrawal could precipitate a breakdown of Iraq's parliamentary government, allowing it to fall to influence from Iran or Al-Qaeda. An exception to this has been Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who was the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee in 1988, who has consistently advocated for a non-interventionist foreign policy and a withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

As of November 2007, Hillary Rodham Clinton has shown a lead in polls from the Democratic side, while Barack Obama, her closest competitor has been gaining traction. The Republican primary shows a contest in turmoil. McCain started with a large lead but collapsed in the spring, because of grass roots opposition to his liberal stance on immigration, and bad financial strategy that left the campaign broke. But McCain soldiered on, holding about 13% of the GOP vote in the polls. Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York, used his heroic image from the 9-11 Attack, and promise of a strong counter-terrorism policy, to vault to the lead, despite moderate social policies that the large conservative wing disliked. In early December, however, his negatives were catching up and he fell from the 30% to the 20% level nationally. Hollywood actor and former senator Fred Thompson entered the race late, but appealed to many conservatives looking for another Ronald Reagan. His ineffective campaign style led to a steady erosion of support. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, by reversing previous moderate positions, became a conservative leader. His Mormon religion, however, caused distrust among the religious conservatives who bulk large in the primaries. Romney's strategy was to pour millions of dollars (mostly his personal money) into Iowa and New Hampshire, hoping that victories there on January 3 and 8, 2008, would generate massive favorable publicity. That publicity supposedly would him a strong position in the Super Tuesday primaries on Feb. 5, 2008, when half the delegates will be chosen. Every prediction and game plan was shattered in November, when Mike Huckabee, a little known former governor of Arkansas, shot to the top of the polls. Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, made a strong appeal to the religious conservatives. Years as a TV announcer gave him a polished yet informal campaign persona that no other candidate could match. By early December Huckabee had the ever-precious "momentum", as he pushed ahead of Romney in Iowa and challenged Giuliani for the national lead.

Candidates for the Democratic nomination

Top tier

• Hillary Rodham Clinton - Former First Lady (1993-2001) and Senator from New York since 2001
• John Edwards - Former Senator from South Carolina (1998-2004) and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 2004
• Barack Obama - Senator from Illinois since 2004, former Illinois State Senator, community organizer and first African-American President of the Harvard Law Review
• Bill Richardson - Governor of New Mexico since 2003, Secretary of Energy from 1997-2001, Ambassador to the United Nations from 1997-1998

Second tier

• Christopher Dodd - Senator from Connecticut since 1981
• Mike Gravel - Former Senator from Alaska (1969-1981) and candidate for Vice Presidency on the 1972 Democratic ticket
• Dennis Kucinich - Representative from Ohio's 10th district since 1997 and mayor of Cleveland from 1977-1979